Like an Open Book
by SeaWeedHead14
Summary: Tadashi is a med student who works part time at his community library and is content with his life, until he meets a punky skater kid by the name of Hiro. He finds the boy fascinating and realizes that maybe his life is missing something after all. [Non-related Hidashi] [Underage Hiro]
1. Chapter 1

_So I was debating about starting this fic or not, considering I have another multi-chap already going (which needs to be updated) but after seeing some amazing fan art on Tumblr, I've had this idea for med student Tadashi and skater punk Hiro for a while so I just had to get it out!_

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

**Prologue**

Tadashi made his way up the stone steps of the old library, taking out the set of keys that would open its historic doors and begin his day of work. As he entered the building he inhaled the calming scent of used books and cleaning supplies, noting that the night crew had done a good job of cleaning up. He flicked the few switches on the wall next to him flooding the shady library with bright fluorescent light, and headed over to the desk situated at the front entrance, turning the main computer on and looking over at the pile of paperwork next to it. Heaving a small sigh, he laid his bag on the floor beside him and sat down on the large office chair picking up the pile as he got situated.

"And so it begins."

Tadashi was a medical student at the elite _San Fransokyo Medical Institute_, where only the best and brightest students went to become the most credited doctors in the country. At the age of 21 he was just a freshman, having finished his regular bachelor's degree ahead of his peers, making him one of the youngest students on campus. He wasn't bothered by the fact, considering he wasn't very social to begin with, always dedicating his time to his job at the library and his never-ending amount of school work. He was content with his life and didn't think he needed anything else, until he met the likes of a punky teenager by the name of Hiro.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

It was a regular day at the library, with the usual crowd of elderly seniors and stay-at-home mothers when Tadashi caught a glimpse of color from outside. Figuring it was probably just a bird that had flown too close to the door he continued with his work, until he caught a glimpse of it again, this time it was followed by a loud noise.

_What in the world_?

Leaving his desk and making his way outside, Tadashi watched as a small figure made its way down the side ramp of the building on a skate board and landed on the pavement with a smooth jolt.

"Alright!" The figure cheered and pumped its fist into the air.

The nerve of this kid!

"Excuse you…"

Tadashi stopped when he was met by the most beautiful doe-like eyes he had ever seen. The small figure (which he had come to find out was in fact a young boy) turned to look at him, his eyes initially wide with surprise, but upon seeing Tadashi they took on a look of indifference.

"What do you want?" The teen asked, one dark brow raised in question.

Tadashi couldn't help but stare at the boy taking in his appearance. He was kind of short, with dark brown messy hair, and was wearing ripped skinny jeans with a plum colored hoodie. His black skater shoes and lip ring finished off the whole look, leaving Tadashi at a loss of words.

Realizing he was still staring, Tadashi flushed and quickly straightened his stance, trying his best to look intimidating.

"Didn't you read the sign?" He pointed near the entrance. "It says no loitering."

The teen smirked.

"Well considering I was skating in motion, and not standing around idly, technically I'm not _loitering_."

_This punk!_

"Look I don't care what you're doing, just do it somewhere else. This is private property."

"But it's a _public_ library."

Of all the punks, of course Tadashi would get stuck with a smart one.

_Wait a minute._

"Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

The boy scoffed. "I'm done."

Tadashi glanced at his watch. It was only 12:30.

"Impossible, it's only mid-afternoon."

Now it was the boy's turn to sigh.

"No, I'm _done_. As in I graduated already, duh."

He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Tadashi pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating the situation. _Why won't this kid just leave?_

Without his noticing, the boy made his way back up the ramp and began to skate his way back down. Tadashi quickly opened his eyes and tried to stop him, accidently causing the boy to swerve and fall off the banister onto the pavement.

_Crap!_

Tadashi jumped over the banister and knelt next to the fallen boy who was clutching his left elbow in pain.

"I am _**so**_ sorry! Are you alright?"

He winced. "No, I think I scraped my elbow."

"Here let me take a look."

The boy was hesitant, but gave Tadashi his arm anyway. Gently he pushed the boy's sleeve up, revealing a small cut.

"It doesn't look too bad, but we should probably get some antiseptic on it."

"What are you a doctor?"

"Not yet. Anyways come on I'll help you up."

Instead the kid used his other arm for support and stood, glaring at Tadashi, before making his way towards the library entrance.

Tadashi couldn't blame him considering it was sort of his fault, but then again he should have just listened to him in the first place and taken his skateboarding elsewhere.

Sighing, he grabbed the forgotten board and followed the teen inside. He gestured for them to head over to his desk where he rolled his chair over for the kid to sit on and began to search his drawers for the first aid kit.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the skater's every move and noticed his eyes light up in interest when they fell upon his school books.

"Ah so you're a med student, that explains a lot. Just a heads up, it's not smart to push people off of stairs, it can lead to injuries ya know."

Finally finding the plastic case of supplies, Tadashi laughed at the sarcastic comment. This kid was beginning to grow on him.

"Well just a heads up, it's not smart to skate on stairs. They're designed for legs, not wheels." He shot the boy a teasing grin. "Just so you know."

The glare he received in response was worth it, and he continued to smile as he began to clean to boy's wound. As he was rubbing alcohol over the affected area, he snuck glances at the boy, still finding himself both fascinated and curious by him. He wanted to know more.

"I've never seen you around here before, are you new to the area?"

The boy turned his attention back to the student in front of him, surprised by the others interest.

"Yeah I just moved here yesterday."

"Where from?"

"New York."

"Wow that must have been hard for you."

"Not really. Moving around is easy when you're on your own. Besides, it's all the same to me."

Tadashi was puzzled as to what that could mean and gave the kid a questioning glance. But instead of an answer, the boy simply removed his arm from Tadashi's care and pulled his sleeve back down to his wrist, getting ready to leave.

"Um, wait!"

The kid stopped and looked at Tadashi.

Without really thinking, he went in his desk drawer and produced a red lollipop handing it over to the boy.

The teen smiled the most brilliant smile ever, showing off a small gap between his front teeth which Tadashi found strangely adorable.

"Hey thanks!" He said as he grabbed the candy from the older boy's hand and stuck it in his mouth.

With a slight movement of his foot, the boy kicked the board up into his hand and made his way towards the door.

"Thanks for the help doc." The boy smiled around the stick in his mouth and gave Tadashi a casual salute.

Before he forgot Tadashi shouted, "Hey what's your name?"

Apparently he had been a bit louder than he had intended, causing a few hushes and angry glares to be thrown his way. But he couldn't care less. He was far too interested in knowing the spunky boy's name to care what was going on around him.

The boy turned around and gave Tadashi his trade mark smirk. "The name's Hiro." And with that the teen left, skating his way down the stair banister and heading off to who knows where.

_Hiro._

Tadashi smiled to himself.

It looked like he was missing something in his life after all.

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**A/N:** Thank you for reading and please tell me what you all think!


	2. Chapter 2

_Just a heads up, I'm moving in a few days and I'll be starting a new job next week so I'm not exactly sure when I'll update next. But I will see this fic through!_

_*Also thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews! I'm glad you all like my story so far :)_

_This chapter is a little uneventful, mostly just interaction and some relationship development._

_Anyways I hope you all enjoy!_

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Between attending seminars and studying for midterms, Tadashi was exhausted. It didn't help that one of the older ladies who also worked at the library had put her back out, making her unable to work for the next few days, and leaving Tadashi to cover as many of her hours as he could.

It had been over a week since he had last seen Hiro, but he somehow always found himself thinking about him. From what little time he had spent with the boy he came to the conclusion that he had a sort of rebellious streak to him and he just hoped he wasn't getting into too much trouble, or worse, getting himself hurt. He wished he had gotten his number or something…just to check up on him of course. Not knowing _when_ or _if_ he'd ever see the kid again only added stress to his already stressful week and it was becoming difficult for him to concentrate much on anything.

He was at the front desk sorting through the returns, every so often looking at the time on his computer screen, counting down the hours till closing. The soft humming of the machine was not helping his fatigue, and he felt himself slowly drifting off until the sound of wheels on concrete began to filter somewhere in his subconscious.

Tadashi instantly perked up when the library doors opened, bringing in some of the fresh Spring air and a familiar looking face.

"Hey doc, long time no see."

To say he was surprised was definitely an understatement.

"Whoa, what's got you looking like the living dead?"

Now _that,_ he could expect.

"Nice to see you too Hiro." And despite the sarcasm, the teen's name felt nice and smooth, casually rolling off his tongue as if he had said it over a thousand times before. He kind of liked it.

The skater chuckled and leaned on his desk giving Tadashi a split second to look him over. He appeared to be the same as the last time they met, although he was in a much better mood. Tadashi didn't know the kid well enough, but he took that as a good sign.

"For your information, I've been cramming for mid-terms and working extra shifts here at the library all week, so I haven't exactly had much time for beauty rest."

That last part seemed to amuse Hiro and he gave a nod in understanding.

Tadashi suddenly remembered something. "Hey how's your elbow doing?"

The teen looked taken aback by the mention, but quickly replaced the emotion with feigned distress.

"Oh it hurt realllly bad for a few days. I couldn't even bend it. My aunt even considered suing you guys, but I told her what a big nerd you were and she felt too bad."

"Well that wouldn't have worked anyway considering this is a _public_ library remember. We aren't held liable for pedestrian injuries." Tadashi couldn't help but break out his smug grin, causing the boy to wave him off in retaliation.

"Yeah yeah, but just remember who taught you that little fun fact in the first place."

_Wait a minute…_

The mention of an aunt caught Tadashi's attention. "I thought you lived on your own?"

"Um, I never said that"

"Yes, you did. Last time you had said moving was easy for you because you were on your own."

"That's not what I meant...it's not like that...just-drop it alright."

The air between them was quiet. Tadashi felt bad for bringing up what appeared to be a difficult subject, but there were so many things he wanted to know about the boy, and it was beginning to feel like he would never get any answers.

Meanwhile Hiro played with his lip ring, sucking it between his teeth (causing quite a distraction for the library worker) and looking everywhere but at Tadashi. He noticed when they finally came to rest at the pile of text books at his desk and watched as the skater's spunk returned.

"Say I bet I'd get all this doctor stuff in a jiff. I could totally help you study if you want."

The offer seemed odd to Tadashi. Didn't the kid have anything better to do?

He looked the kid over, searching for any signs of bluff, but all he got was a glare in return.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was just trying to figure out why you're being nice all of sudden. Don't you have some property to trespass or something?"

"Ya know it's a good thing you plan on being a doctor, cause you would never make it as a comedian."

Tadashi swung his hand over his eyes in a dramatic gesture. "Oh no, my life-long dream is shattered!"

"Hey so do you want my help or not!" The boy's pout was too adorable for words and Tadashi felt himself almost feeling bad.

"Ok, ok. Sure, why not." He got up from his spot at the desk and retrieved his bag off the floor.

"How about we head over into one of the private study rooms."

Hiro shrugged and followed the older boy into the secluded room.

Once settled, Tadashi placed his bag on the table and began to take out his books.

"Ok so my first test is on the various parts of the brain so I figure we could start there."

"Sounds good. I actually had a thing for a neurologist once, it's some cool stuff."

_A thing? _

Tadashi paused.

"Oh, you think…" Hiro instantly burst into a fit of giggles, producing a light blush on the med student's face. "Wow, so I guess it _is_ true what they say about college guys. You all have your brain's in the gutter don't you. I meant I wanted to _be_ a neurologist, not _do _one, jeez."

Tadashi couldn't explain the odd feeling of relief he felt with that statement, but he promptly pushed aside.

"Well excuse me. Maybe you should choose your wording a bit better next time."

"English isn't really my thing."

"What _is_ your thing?"

Hiro's eyes lit up with excitement. "Aside from science, I'm a huge tech wiz. I'm especially into robotics. The complexities of their structures and their limitless capabilities is just...amazing!" He breathed.

Tadashi felt his heart stop. The boy's passion was so raw and to see someone mirror his own emotions so perfectly was electrifying. He had honestly never seen anyone or anything so beautiful in his life.

"Um, earth to nerd boy." Tadashi was broken from his trance by a purple sleeved arm waving in front of his face.

"Seriously why do you always stare at me like that? It's starting to creep me out."

"I just couldn't help but notice how excited you were about robotics. I think it's nice to see someone young like you interested in the field."

The boy slightly blushed at the med student's comment and promptly changed the subject. "Whoa, what does my age have to do with anything? You look pretty young yourself."

_Looks like someone's nervous….how cute._

"I'm older then you, so by default, that makes you young."

At that remark Hiro stared and fixed his squinted eyes on the older male.

"What are you doing?"

Tadashi's question went unanswered as the skater continued to appraise him, starting from his slim waist and working upwards, faintly resting on his strong, broad, shoulders, and slowly making their way up his lean neck until they finally rested on his face. The intensity of the boy's stare was making Tadashi a bit uncomfortable, but upon seeing the blush return to the boy's cheeks, Tadashi chuckled.

"Why don't you just take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Pfft as if I would want a picture of a nerd like you. I was just analyzing your age."

"Oh is that so? Then how old am I?"

"I'd say, hmmm about…20."

"21."

"Whatever I was close!"

"Does that mean it's my turn to guess your age?"

Hiro shrugged.

"Do what you want."

"16."

"What?! You didn't even look me over?

"I didn't have to. Between your petite figure and your pubescent mood swings, I just knew."

"Wow. _Petite_? _Pubescent mood swings_? What am I a teenage girl?!"

Tadashi laughed and ruffled the boy's already messy hair.

"Come on genius, we got some studying to do."

Hiro huffed and pushed the hand away, but settled down nonetheless and began to look over the student's notes.

They reviewed for the rest of his shift, reciting vocabulary terms and drawing diagrams, stopping for a few paper ball fights, but staying on topic for the most part. Tadashi felt the weeks stress melt away with each joyful giggle and playful shove from the skater, and he could not remember when he had ever felt so at ease. It was refreshing.

When the hour hand reached the 8 he sighed and slowly began to pack up his belongings.

"Time to lock up."

"It's closing time already? Wait are we the only ones here?"

They both peeked outside the glass window facing the library and looked around.

"Guess so. I just have to fix up a few things at my desk and then we can head out."

Tadashi led the way out of the study room and headed over to the front desk, placing the unfinished returns in their basket and turning off the computer. The whole time he kept glancing back to the boy, afraid he would disappear before he even had the chance to offer him a ride home. Hiro just stood there, one hand in his hood pocket the other typing away on his phone.

"Is your aunt looking for you?"

"No, I'm meeting up with some friends downtown later."

"And your aunt is ok with you being out at night."

"It's only 8 o'clock, besides I do my own thing."

The boy's entire mood had changed in just a short second and Tadashi quickly thought of ways to make things right.

"So do you need a ride or something? My bikes out back."

"Wow I would never pin you as the riding type." Hiro raised a sharp brow in surprise.

"Oh ya know, I don't like to brag, but my moped is quite the speed demon."

The instant shock on the skater's face had Tadashi highlyly amused and his laughter rang throughout the empty library.

Hiro smirked and gave the student a sad shake of his head. "And just when I thought you were actually just a little bit cool."

"Well you know what they say about people who _assume_ things."

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be older you sure can act pretty childish."

"I think it's just your charm rubbing off on me"

The boy gave a light punch to the student's upper arm, causing him to laugh even more.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe another time." He headed towards the door, skateboard in tow, getting ready to leave.

Tadashi watched as he typed out a few more words on his phone before putting it away.

"Hey I was thinking…" Hiro turned, waiting for him to continue.

"…That I really appreciated all the help you gave me today and I think we should do it again. I mean, if you're not busy or anything."

Hiro smiled that stupidly adorable smile and Tadashi was once again captivated by his sweet, innocent, essence. "Yeah sounds good. Do you wanna exchange numbers?"

_What?_

It took Tadashi's mind less than a second to comprehend what the boy was offering, but he was sure that Hiro had picked up on his microscopic pause.

"Yeah that would be great!"

_Eager much?_

"Ok I'm ready. Shoot."

"Um sure, it's 415-555-4931."

The boy's fingers moved fast across the screen, cementing Tadashi's presence into his phone.

"Cool. Hey and maybe sometime you can help me out. I don't have classes or anything, but I do have a…hobby of sorts. It involves robotics so you might like it, plus it'll get you out of this old library." He scrunched his nose at the word 'old' and used his board to make a general gesture to the building.

"Sure, that would be nice."

"Awesome! See you later doc." Hiro gave his casual salute and exited the library.

Tadashi let out a breath and ran his hands down his face.

"Way to go, _nerd_." He sighed and retrieved his bag and his helmet off the floor. Removing the set of keys from his pocket, he turned off all the lights and locked the doors shut. The walk to his moped was full of annoying replays of their previous exchange, and he cringed with embarrassment.

_It's just a kid Tadashi. Get a grip!_

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Hiro quietly made his way up the wooden stairs, making sure to skip over the ones he knew made too much noise. He had checked to see if his aunt was asleep, finding her passed out on the sofa watching one of those classic horror films she seemed to like so much. The night had been a success and he felt the large wad of cash in his pocket as he continued up the steps.

Once in his room Hiro threw his sweatshirt on the floor and began counting the decent bundle of bills.

"Who needs school when I got all the answers right here?" He finished and placed the money in his bedside drawer, where he had made a secret compartment for his winnings. Aunt Cass didn't seem like the type to snoop around in other's belongings, but Hiro didn't want to take any chances.

After securing his money in place he headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. Just as he was removing his pants he heard a soft thud and looked down to notice his phone on the floor.

"Oh." He turned to toss it on his bed, when he thought of something. Lightly tapping the phone's screen it came to life "12:32…hmm" Hiro stared at the numbers on the bright screen, debating with himself, watching as the 'two' became a 'three' and figured 'why not.'

"Knowing that guy, he's probably still up stressing about _something_."

His fingers swiftly made their way across the screen before locking the device and tossing it upon the soft comforter. Hiro then removed the rest of his clothes and made his way to the shower.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

It wasn't until Tadashi had arrived home that he realized he actually did not get Hiro's number. Yes he had given his number, but until the skater decided to text _him_ there was no way of obtaining such information.

_Great._

"Oh well." He sighed and entered his apartment.

Tadashi rented a small studio apartment in an average part of the city. Before his parents passed away they had made sure to save for Tadashi's college fund, and being an exceptional student all throughout his school career, he had received numerous scholarships and grants. Still living in a city was not cheap, and between his rigorous courses and whatever hours he could do at the library, he deemed the studio a fine fit.

On most nights he would come home, cook himself up a small dinner and then shower before going to bed, but he was so mentally exhausted that he skipped everything and plopped face first onto his bed.

Tadashi stayed like that for a while, forgetting everything and gradually drifting off to sleep when his phone alerted him of an incoming text.

He groaned and dug into his pant pocket to retrieve the device.

**'_Take care of that big brain of yours and get some rest, nerd.'_**

Tadashi couldn't help the goofy smile that spread across his face.

_This kid._

He reread the message displayed on the screen several times before saving the boy's contact in his phone. Not moving from his spot, he soon fell asleep, with dreams of an adorable gapped toothed punk to keep him company.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, and it's a short one at that. I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not dead, nor am I giving up on this fic, I'm just super busy with real-life junk._

_Anyways I hope you all like this chapter! Also if any of you want to say hi or just need someone to talk to, you can find me on Tumblr at seaweed14 :)_

_Enjoy ~_

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"When you said you had a hobby that involved robotics…I kind of had something else in mind."

He had to shout amongst the crowded room full of bot fighters, but the slight tilt of Hiro's head assured him that the teen had heard.

"What else did you think I meant?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe something not illegal!"

"Bot fighting is not illegal. Now _betting_ on bot fighting, that's illegal."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working."

"Hey you're the doctor, making people feel better is your job."

Tadashi decided to ignore the boy's comment and instead took in their surroundings. The room they were in was small and dim, and he was pretty sure they were well past the amount of bodies deemed safe by the fire code. There were people of all features and backgrounds there, but it was clearly obvious that Hiro was by far the youngest. When Hiro had texted him the day before and asked if he wanted to help him with one of his robotics projects, Tadashi immediately agreed, not really thinking the idea through. Now that he found himself in such a place, he wondered how the boy had even come in to such a hobby and if he usually went to places like this by himself often. The idea didn't sit well with Tadashi and he made a mental note to casually ask about it later.

"Hey I'm up next, so wish me luck."

"Wait you're actually going to battle?!"

Hiro gave him an incredulous look.

"Did you really think I just brought us here for the _ambiance_?"

Tadashi felt slightly embarrassed but didn't respond. He looked at the teen and sighed.

"Good luck."

"_And now entering the ring we have our all time champion, Yamaaaa!"_

The crowd parted, making room for Hiro's opponent to step through. At the sight of the large man Tadashi thanked the heavens this was a bot fight and not some sort of physical activity, like karate or boxing. He knew Hiro would never stand a chance against this guy in an actual fight.

"_Versus the new-comer, Megaboooot."_

Hiro slowly made his way to the ring, looking so small and fragile sitting across from such a large body. Despite the difference in their size, he didn't seem fazed and the teen's nonchalance helped calm Tadashi's own nerves, that was, until he saw Hiro's bot.

_You have _got_ to be kidding me!_

Settled in front of Hiro was a small robot, no bigger than the teen's foot. It was all black, except for its face which was a tame shade of yellow, adorned with eyes and a smile. Tadashi could feel his nerves rise up once more. He was expecting something a bit more grandeur, what for the teen's personality and all, but the specimen before him was defiantly not what he had expected.

From the laugh he heard around the room, apparently he was not alone.

"Haha you think that sprout has what it takes to defeat Little Yama! AH HA! I'll show you a thing or two kid."

"_Two bots enter, one bot leaves. Fighters ready?...And….GO!"_

There was no surprise when Hiro's bot was instantaneously chopped into pieces no more than five seconds into the match. The look of shock and defeat on the teens face was the saddest Tadashi had ever seen it. He was tempted to walk straight up to that Yama fellow and give him a piece of his mind, but the sound of Hiro's pleading voice stopped him.

"That was my first fight, could I try again?"

The room was once more filled with the obnoxious laughter of ruthless bot fighters, but upon seeing the bundle of cash the skater whipped out of his pocket, the laughter ceased.

_Where on earth is he getting all that money from?_

Tadashi mentally stored it alongside his other questions for later.

Yama appeared to agree to the teen's request and signaled for the ringleader to make her way over. She too seemed shocked by the turn of events, but stationed herself nonetheless.

"_Fighters ready?...FIGHT!"_

Out of nowhere the little robot's smiling face turned into that of an evil grin, and it quickly tore Yama's monster of a machine apart. The roaring cheer of the crowd was deafening, but just seeing that smug expression back on the skater's face had Tadashi smiling himself.

_This kid I swear._

Just as Hiro was pocketing his reward, all cheering had stopped.

"No one dare defeats YAMA!"

The group of fighters started to swarm around the two opponents, blocking much from Tadashi's view. All he could see was Hiro's bot being ripped from his hands and his body being slammed against the concrete wall. "Teach him a lesson." Yama ordered to the few thugs now circling the skater.

"HIRO!"

Tadashi pushed and shoved pass the sea of bodies and forced his way through the front of the crowd. He found Hiro's wrist and pulled it towards him, panicking the teen in response.

"Follow me." Recognizing the older man's voice, Hiro listened and followed Tadashi through the packed room and out into the alley way.

"Hurry get on!"

Tadashi settled on his moped and tossed Hiro a helmet. Taking his arms and wrapping them securely around his waist, he reminded the teen to hold on tight. He didn't know if the slight blush on the skater's cheeks was due to the threatening situation they were in, or the close proximity they were of each other, but he didn't have much time to think about it when they heard the metal doors to the underground battle room swing open, revealing a very angry Yama.

"Go, go!"

The teen hugged Tadashi's middle tighter as a silent urge for him to start driving. He nodded and pushed down hard on the pedal, skillfully steering them out of the dark alley way. Once they were clear of any thugs or angry looking bot fighters, Tadashi slowed down and half turned to give Hiro a frown.

"What the heck did you think you were doing back there! Huh? Were you _trying_ to get us killed?"

"I didn't know he'd react like a big baby! Besides you didn't have to save me, you could have just left me there."

Tadashi's frown deepened and he turned his full attention back on the road.

"Does your aunt know where you are?"

"She thinks I went to the library, why?"

Tadashi didn't answer, and instead continued driving in a direction Hiro was not familiar with.

"Um, where are we going? The library is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction, a confused look upon his adorable face.

"We're not going to the library."

And to Tadashi's surprise the teen didn't say a word. He took a quick glance behind his shoulder to make sure the teen was alright. Hiro was paying him no attention, his eyes focused on the dazzling lights of San Fransokyo at night; his mouth agape in silent awe.

Tadashi had forgotten that Hiro was still relatively new to the area and probably hadn't seen this side of the city before. He found the skater's reaction oddly endearing, and forgot just how much a punk the kid could really be.

He decided to hold his lecture till later, and continued driving down the tranquil streets of San Fransokyo.

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**A/N:** Please tell me what you all think :)


	4. Chapter 4

Tadashi carefully parked his mopped under the covering near his building and cut the engine. The two sat in silence; Hiro's arms still wrapped tightly around Tadashi's middle. The sensation caused a fire to spread throughout his chest and through his stomach, where he felt the teen's hands lay.

The skater quickly removed them and took off his helmet, shaking out his scruffy hair and looking around at the line of identical buildings. "Um, are you finally gonna tell me where we are?"

The loss of physical touch was odd, but he could still feel the teen's warmth remain.

"We're at my apartment."

He felt Hiro stiffen slightly at the mention of their location and then clumsily maneuver himself off the mopped.

Tadashi chuckled, "Need any help back there?"

"I'm fine." The teen mumbled and Tadashi swore he heard a slight stutter.

_Could he actually be nervous?_

Tadashi doubted it, but tried to keep a comfortable distance just in case.

He took the lead and directed them up the small flight of stairs that led to his studio suite.

Opening the door he gestured with a tilt of his head for Hiro to follow. The teen looked a little reluctant but quickly entered the doorway into the small room.

Tadashi turned the light switch on and glanced over to see his every possession being quietly analyzed, like some sort of mental scan was in the process.

"Hmm. Ya know it's not as big or fancy as I pictured, but it's nice."

Tadashi smirked. "So you've fantasied about my place before?"

Hiro scuffed and casually played with his small ponytail.

"No. I just figured you had a lot of money, being a med student and all."

Tadashi laughed and watched Hiro continue to mess with his hair, idly thinking how much he'd love to run his fingers through the soft looking locks himself.

"You're giving me that creepy look again."

_Crap!_

"Uh I was just thinking that maybe you'd like something to drink?"

The boy shrugged.

"Sure. What kind of soda do you have?"

"I don't have any soda."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. It contains too much caffeine and sugar. It's not healthy for you."

Hiro sighed and dragged his fingers down his face.

"Ah, I should have known. So let me guess; water."

He said it more as a statement than an answer.

"Or apple juice."

"Apple juice? How old are you again?"

"Beverages don't have an age limit?

"Alcoholic ones do." The boy snapped back.

"Well that's different…"

"Fine I'll take some apple juice."

Tadashi stood there waiting.

Hiro stared, until it hit him.

"Please."

Tadashi smiled. "Coming right up."

"First no soda, then manners; are you always this good?"

"Can't help it. I was raised this way."

The teen nodded, his eyes once again scanning the small area. He walked over to the television stand adorned with various photographs in frames and picked one up.

"So are these your parents?"

Tadashi didn't have to turn around to see which picture the boy was talking about.

"Yeah. My parents met when they were pretty young but they were married for a few years before they had me."

"Do you visit them often?

"Sometimes. I try to stop by the cemetery at least once a month, but between my upcoming exams and work, I haven't really had the time."

Hiro instantly put the photo down and stepped away.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…um…" He felt at a loss of words.

"No don't worry about it. I don't have many friends so it's actually nice to talk about it with someone else."

In fact, it was _really_ nice.

Hiro gave a genuine smile and took the glass of apple juice handed to him with a small 'thanks'.

The teen seemed pretty comfortable now so Tadashi figured it was his turn to ask.

"What about yours?"

They had both settled on the quaint love seat near the television set, each taking up one of the corners and leaving the entire middle space between them. Hiro quirked his brow in a quizzical manner as he continued to jug down his juice.

"What about your parents? What happened to them to make you live with your aunt?"

Tadashi had asked in the most gentle tone he could, afraid that he might hit a nerve with the boy and cause his punky attitude to surface.

He was quiet for a little while, and the student was beginning to think he'd never get a response. But before he could stammer out an apology for over stepping any boundaries, he heard a faint whisper.

"My mother was a druggie who one day just decided she didn't feel like being a mother anymore, so she left me at school one day and never came back."

Tadashi was in shocked silence, waiting patiently for the teen to finish.

"And as for my father, I never knew the guy so I can't really say."

The weight of such a revelation was heavy on the student's heart and he shifted his body to face Hiro, wanting so desperately to take the boy in his arms and hug any sadness away.

Unfortunately he didn't have the chance before Hiro tried to quickly change the subject.

"Well there's no use crying about it now. I'm over those two anyways."

His tone was indifferent but his eyes said otherwise and Tadashi once again felt those conflicting emotions.

"So is the aunt you're staying with your mother's sister?"

"No she's my newest foster parent. Apparently I can be a handful sometimes, so I've moved around a lot. But she's the nicest one so far! I call her Aunt Cass and she owns a café right on the corner of Sakura Drive. You may have heard of it? She's a great cook and a huge movie buff, plus she doesn't' hover which is exactly my kind of thing. I could really get used to her."

The mention of this Aunt Cass seemed to brighten his spirits and Tadashi smiled along with him.

"She sounds great."

"Yeah she really is." Hiro smiled and let his eyes wonder over the student's things for the umpteenth time that night, when they fell upon his neatly made twin bed.

"So do you live by yourself or does your girlfriend crash here sometimes?"

He thought the question random, but decided to humor the boy and play along.

"What makes you think I have a girlfriend?"

"Please, just look at you! Charming, handsome, smart, kind; I bet you have girls fawning over you all the time." He said with minor disdain.

Tadashi couldn't help but laugh. "I can't say some haven't tried, but have you ever thought that maybe it's not girls I'm interested in?"

Hiro stopped.

"Wait so you're gay."

"That is an affirmative."

The teen swiftly cast his eyes over Tadashi's face to see any signs of bluff, and when he found none he instantly looked away.

"So…do you have a boyfriend then?"

Tadashi felt himself breathe again, releasing the fear that the boy would reject his company and friendship over something such as his sexuality. He had suffered a fair amount of ridicule in the past, making him cautious of who he confided in, but he felt so comfortable with Hiro that the thought hadn't crossed his mind until he had said it.

The boy's continuous stare reminded Tadashi that he was still waiting for an answer.

"No, I do not."

The teen said nothing but nodded, and then got up and walked back over to the set of Blu-Rays next to the television set.

Tadashi watched him as he moved, wanting to ask him the same question, but considering the kid was still a minor, he figured it could pose as inappropriate.

"In case you're wondering I've tried both and I can definitely say I prefer dicks over chicks."

The med student lightly blushed at the crude choice of words, but felt a small sliver of hope begin to shape somewhere within his heart. He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way, but it just felt so natural and right.

_As long as he doesn't catch on, there's no harm done, right?_

He already knew the answer but decided to ignore it in lieu of watching as the teen picked up the latest Transformers movie and casually slid it into the Blu-Ray player. He then plopped back down on the couch, slightly closer to Tadashi this time, but still keeping a good distance and propped his feet up on the coffee table ready for the show to begin.

Tadashi smiled as he felt that small sliver inside himself warm.

_I guess I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to give him my safety lecture_, he thought and made the move to cover both of them with the wool blanket hanging over the back of the couch.

He saw Hiro smile, although his eyes large brown eyes never left the bright screen. It wasn't until half way through the movie that Tadashi felt a soft thud on his left arm and looked down to see a scruffy mop of hair leaning upon his shoulder.

Tadashi felt that warmth once again and lightly cradled his arm around the smaller figure before slowly closing his eyes and nodding off himself.

When he awoke the sun was out and shining brightly throughout his apartment. The spot beside him was cold and it hit him that he was alone. Slowly he stretched and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand searching for his phone to check the time. A cheerful 'ding' alerted him of its location and of the text message waiting to be read.

'_Had to leave early to manage some damage control with Aunt Cass, but thanks for saving me last night. We should hang out again sometime when you're not so busy!'_

Tadashi instantly felt guilty for essentially allowing the boy to spend the night without informing his guardian of where he was. The poor woman was probably up all night worrying about him. He had faith that Hiro would be able to talk himself out of it, but he was more than willing to stop by and explain everything if she was still unsettled.

It was Sunday so he realized the library was closed.

"I could use a nice cup of coffee before studying for my exams." He said aloud, then got up and began heading towards the bathroom to take a shower, but not before using his phone one more time.

"Siri, find Sakura Drive, Sanfransoykyo."

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**A/N:** Wahhh sorry for the super late update! I had finals and graduation, plus I'm still in the process of completing an internship of sorts, so I have had very little time to myself!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the new insights to both of their backgrounds. More is to come~

Thank you all so much for reading and please tell me what you all think :D


	5. Chapter 5

_So…hi? I'm sorry about the very, very, very late update. To be honest I was going through a lot of rl things, and severe lack of motivation._

_This update is a little short, but I don't plan on making this story much longer anyways. I'm terrible with multi-chaps so I'm trying to make this as concise as possible._

_Thank you all for sticking with my story for so long, I really do appreciate it._

_And thank you all for your comments and messages, you guys are so awesome!_

_Anyways, please enjoy this (short) chapter ~_

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It was only about a fifteen minute trip to the café, allowing Tadashi a smooth ride with some nice scenery to boot. He had been to this side of town many times, but not frequently enough to be familiar with his destination. The buildings were so close together he had to slow down just to make sure he didn't miss it, and sure enough there it was perched on a quaint little corner.

Tadashi stopped his moped a few feet away, trying to think of a strategy or at least what he was going to say. He was going through multiple scenarios of how it could all work out when he heard a faint bell sound coming from up the road. He watched as Hiro exited the café with a very full garbage bag. Tadashi found the younger boy's struggle with the hefty bag to be slightly amusing, especially considering the bag was almost the same exact size as him. He continued to watch as Hiro dragged the bag off to the corner and made his way back inside.

Seeing Hiro gave Tadashi the extra push he needed and with a deep breath he finished parking his bike and steadily made his way towards the café.

He cursed the ringing chimes of the bell above the door for giving away his arrival. Thankfully no one in the café seemed to care or notice, all except for a chipper woman making her way through the assorted tables with a tray full of baked goods.

"Hi welcome to the Lucky Cat Café. Is it for here or to go?"

"To go please." That way if he felt the urge to run he wouldn't feel too bad about wasting the busy woman's time.

"You can place your order at the counter then."

And she smiled as she continued to make her way to the other tables.

Tadashi looked over to the counter and although it appeared vacant he started to make his way over. He noticed the bell placed on the side with a neatly written note _'Please ring for service._' He gave the bell a small tap and was surprised when a scruffy head of dark hair quickly bounced up from out of nowhere.

Hiro's face was covered in powdered sugar, presumably from snacking on the job. Tadashi was about to remark how cute he looked when Hiro started talking.

"What are you doing here? Did I forget something at your place last night? "

In Tadashi's mind the question sounded anything but innocent, but with the adorable way Hiro was trying to brush the sugar off of his shirt and face, it brought his mind back to the subject of the matter.

What _is_ he doing here?

"Um, I just stopped by for a cup of coffee."

Hiro looked at him.

"All the way on the other side of town?"

Why was he so darn observant?

"Well you talked about your Aunt Cass' pastries and it's my day off so I decided to stop by and try some."

_Good one_.

Hiro still didn't look very convinced but he brushed it off and went to go pour Tadashi a cup of coffee.

By then the very busy woman returned and took her place behind the counter giving Tadashi a smile.

"I see my nephew is helping you?"

"Yes he is, thank you."

"So how did you hear about us?" She asked, putting on plastic gloves as she spoke.

"Well I actually heard of you from Hiro, he said your stuff was really good."

The woman's face immediately lit up and she stopped what she was doing.

"Hiro never told me he made any new friends! Hiro," she called, "why didn't you tell me about this young man?"

Hiro was making his way back to the counter with Tadashi's coffee. He hoped he hadn't upset the teen by relaying such information, but to his surprise he didn't look angry, just possibly…embarrassed? Tadashi didn't know if it was from the heat of the kitchen, but Hiro had a slight red flush upon his cheeks.

"It's nothing major, he just works at the library."

"Ohhh," She gives Hiro a look. "Is _that_ why you're always down there studying?"

Hiro huffed and looked the other way, "No. I'm just doing my research."

_Research?_

"What do you need to research for?" Tadashi couldn't help but ask. He had known the kid for a while now, but he had never heard him mention anything about research.

"Hiro is applying to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology so he's preparing a project to premiere at their enrollment showcase."

This was the first Tadashi had heard of this.

"He's really good with technology, you should see half the things he's made!"

"Aunt Cass!" He whined.

"Well it's not like it's a secret."

Tadashi was honestly a little hurt that Hiro hadn't told him anything about this. He knew Hiro was good with robotics and such, but he hadn't mentioned anything about his aspiring SFTI plans. And here Tadashi thought they were gradually becoming friends.

"Hey, I know!" He was ripped from his thoughts by the loud exclamation from the woman in front of him.

"Why don't you help Hiro with his project?"

Both boys looked at her, neither really knowing what to say.

"Um, sure. I wouldn't mind. That is, if it's ok with Hiro." He added.

Hiro picked at a piece of tap on the counter top, but nodded his head in response.

"Yeah, that would be ok I guess."

"Great!" Aunt Cass smiled and clapped her hands together.

Tadashi smiled too, and reached for his wallet to pay for his coffee.

"It's on the house." Aunt Cass assured, and picked an éclair off a tray and placed it into a paper bag handing it to Tadashi.

"Here take this too. Enjoy!" She sang, before she grabbed her tray and made her way towards to the busy tables once again.

He picked up the items and gave Hiro a slight head nod.

"Well at least you aren't in trouble."

"Tell me about it." He sighed.

Tadashi chuckled. "So when do you want to get started on our project?"

"You really want to help me?"

Hiro seemed genuinely surprised at his offer, making Tadashi wonder how many times he had been lied to before.

"Of course I do." He answered honestly. "I'm curious to see what that big head of yours has in store."

"Ha ha." Hiro glared, only slightly amused by the older's jab.

"We can start Wednesday if that sounds good."

Tadashi couldn't think of his schedule right now, but if Hiro was asking, then yes Wednesday was very good.

"I'll see you then." He smiled and made his way to the door, thanking Aunt Cass for the food on his way out.

Once near his bike he let out a breath.

_How many days till Wednesday?_

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**A/N:** Thank you all for reading, and please tell me what you think :)


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter, but I'm sorry for making you all wait. _

_Thank you all for your patience and for all the follows/fav/reviews. I really appreciate it!_

_*Just a reminder that the italicized sentences are a character's inner thoughts, and the bold __italicized sentences with quotes are text messages._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!_

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It was finally Wednesday and he and Hiro had decided it would be best to meet at Hiro's place considering he already had all his tools and equipment over there. Due to the day's downpour Tadashi had to take the bus. Living in a city, Tadashi didn't have the need for a car, but on days like to day he thought maybe a car wouldn't be so bad. Either way, the bus would have to suffice for now.

The next stop was where he would get off and he could already feel his nerves slowly begin to rise. He didn't understand why he felt so pressured, he and Hiro had studied and spent time together frequently in the past few weeks. Was it because he would be at Hiro's place and not at his known comforts of the library or his apartment?

He didn't have much time to think about it further before the bus rolled to a stop and the doors swung open. Tadashi grabbed his umbrella and made his way towards the exit, turning in the direction of the café. The rain had slowed down quite a bit so he didn't feel the need to rush, giving him some time to collect his random thoughts. He hadn't even registered that he had entered the shop until he heard that familiar ringing of a bell.

"Hi there Tadashi!" The kind woman from the other day chimed out.

"Hello Aunt Cass," Tadashi smiled.

"Hiro's out back in the garage. But before you join him, here take these." She handed him two styrofoam cups. "It's my famous hot chocolate! It's Hiro favorite, and judging by the weather you boys could probably use it."

Tadashi smiled again and thanked the woman before making his way out the door and heading in the direction she had gestured to when she mentioned Hiro's whereabouts. He didn't have to go far before he heard the loud sound of heavy guitar riffs and drum kicks nearby.

When he arrived at the entrance of the garage he was met with the ever energetic teen, playing a mean air guitar toppling on a fairly worn sofa. The song was just ending when Tadashi chuckled at the sight and alerted the other to his presence.

"Hey!" Hiro turned around, his face slightly red with embarrassment and Tadashi couldn't help but laugh even more.

"That was some sick solo."

"I wasn't aware I had an audience." He quipped back, still fidgeting from being caught. "But just so you know my shows aren't free."

Tadashi raised a brow. "Oh really?" He extended one of the café cups in his hand. "Well will this cover it?"

Hiro smiled at the offered cup and brusquely grabbed it from the older male's grasp.

"Yeah this will work for now. But next time, it'll be double." He smirked at Tadashi over the brim of his cup as he turned and walked further in the garage. Tadashi followed and took a sharp look at his surroundings.

The garage was a decent size, filled wall to wall with all sorts of mechanical tools and fancy looking pieces of technology. Heck there was even a 3D printer. There was well over thousands of dollars' worth of equipment in the room and Tadashi's curiosity was getting the better of him.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get all this stuff?"

Hiro glared at him, suspicious of his innocently curious intentions.

"I didn't steal them if that's what you think."

Tadashi was a little taken aback at that response, and leveled the boy with a stare of his own.

The fact that he even had to clarify that belief hurt him a bit. For one, the boy must have gotten snide assumptions about himself quite a few times to feel the need to automatically be on the defensive like that. The other, that the boy would think Tadashi had such a low opinion of him.

"I didn't think you did."

Now it was Hiro's turn to be stunned. He kept Tadashi's gaze until he turned away, walking towards one of the machines.

"I purchased a majority of this stuff using the money from my bot fights. Some of the other tools used to belong to Aunt Cass' husband. I guess he passed away a few years ago, but when she saw how into inventing I was, she said I could use them as I like." He paused as if in thought and then turned back to face Tadashi.

"Anyways are you ready to put that big brain of yours to work?"

Tadashi placed his cup on a nearby surface and rolled up his sleeves. "Did you think I just came here for a free concert?"

Hiro rolled his eyes at his response, but the grin that spread across his face revealed he was genuinely amused.

He showed Tadashi to a desk near the back of the garage littered with what looked like an assortment of mathematical equations and rough sketches. From what Tadashi could see the kid was insanely smart. He had known Hiro's IQ was above average for his age, but his work was truly amazing. Tadashi faintly wondered how he managed to stay sane in an ordinary high school setting.

"Wow this is some great stuff. How on earth are you still in high school?"

Hiro seemed pleased with Tadashi's praise, but tried to play it off with a shrug. "Although I test out at a college level, the system has this stupid theory that since I come from a troubled background being around losers my own age will give me some sort of 'stability'. I think it's all a load of bull." He took a sip from his cup and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Tadashi observed the action and considered the boy's words. He guessed the notion made sense in its own way, but from what he knew of Hiro, it seemed it was most likely having the opposite effect.

"Do you get along well with the other kids at your school?"

Hiro hesitated a bit before answering that one. "Not really, but I don't care. Once I win this showcase I can quit that pop stand for good."

Tadashi saw the determination in the boy's eyes and felt his own heart brighten at the prospect.

"Well then, let's get to work."

**~ ~XxXxX ~ ~**

The two spent hours creating a draft for their final concept. Although Hiro initially had a thought of what he was going to do, Tadashi had helped and amplified his idea tenfold. With their plan there was no way he wouldn't get accept.

They chatted and worked for the rest of the afternoon, with only a few sarcastic remarks here and there. And despite his own upcoming exams, Tadashi was thoroughly enjoying himself. Being with Hiro settled him and made him forget all about his impending deadlines, and on a deeper note, his suppressed loneliness. He hadn't been lying to Hiro when he said he didn't have many friends, and regardless of whatever he felt for the other boy beginning to grow, he valued the friendship the two were developing along the way.

He liked to think that Hiro felt it too. From Tadashi's perspective, the boy had changed a bit since their first encounter, and although he was still a little guarded and rough around the edges, there was a growing softness to him that Tadashi noticed and secretly hoped he was the reason for.

He watched the teen closely as he continued with his final sketch, absently playing with his silver lip ring, tugging and sucking upon the hooped jewel. His hair was tied back in its usual small ponytail, freeing the boy of any hindrance it might have on his vision, but Tadashi couldn't say the sight was doing the same for him. If anything Tadashi was having a hard time tearing his gaze away, completely infatuated on the tempting image of the studious teen in front of him.

Seeming to feel his eyes upon him, Hiro looked up from his work and met his stare with an expression of his own.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Tadashi asked unfazed.

"That creepy look you do, ya know where you just kinda stare at me in a weird way."

_Oh, that…_

Tadashi remained glued to the boy for only a second longer before he slowly looked away. He wasn't sure if he was gradually beginning to give himself away, and there was a _very_ small part of him that was beginning not to care. But in the end, he knew which side of him would win, so instead he began to observe the mound of objects off in the corner of the room. He felt an odd tug in his chest when he saw the skateboard from their first meeting among the pile.

Hiro must have noticed cause he let out a small chuckle. "Look familiar?" He asked.

Tadashi turned back to meet his smirk with one of his own and swiftly got up from the table to retrieve the mentioned item. The sight must have given Hiro a thought. "Have you ever ridden one before?"

He smiled and continued to exam the board. "Can't say that I have."

"How about I teach you? Come on, it'll be fun I promise."

The hesitant look on his face just made Hiro smile even wider.

"I don't know."

"You drive a moped for Christ sake, you practically _scream_ dare devil."

Tadashi indulged Hiro's sarcastic comment and allowed him his victory.

"Fine, but if I fall you have to carry me all the way back to my apartment."

Hiro scoffed at the agreement but led the way outside anyways. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say."

The rain had finally stopped leaving only a few puddles here and there. Adjusting the helmet to fit his head, Tadashi stood on the side drive way away from any left over water and placed the board down in front of him. Hiro stood on the other side of the board ready to give Tadashi his instructions.

"So it's real easy, all you have to do is balance your weight on the board." He held out his hands and looked at Tadashi expectantly. Despite his nerves making him want to back away, Tadashi laid his hands in Hiro's and felt the boy tighten his own in response.

"Ok now hop on and try to steady yourself."

Clinging onto Hiro's hands, Tadashi slowly stepped onto the board. Considering their difference in height increasing even further with the board, holding onto Hiro actually made the whole balancing act a bit harder. But Tadashi reveled in the feel of their hands combined, and even though he still felt a bit unstable with his stance, he knew there was no way he was letting go.

Hiro watched as Tadashi finished settling his feet. "Now I'm gonna help you make it to the end of the drive way."

With a gentle hold, he began walking and sliding Tadashi along the slick pavement making sure they kept at a safe speed. Now Tadashi wasn't exactly scared, but the thought of falling on the rough concrete didn't seem like a fun time. But with the help of the teen he managed to make it all the way down the driveway without a scratch.

They repeated the process a few more times, until Hiro felt he was ready to balance on his own.

"That was great!" He exclaimed. "How about you try again except this time I'll stay here at the bottom and you can meet me down here by yourself."

Tadashi nodded, reluctantly releasing their hands to walk back up to the garage entrance by himself. Turning to face Hiro he felt that familiar tug in his chest seeing his bright expectant smile waiting for him. Not wanting to disappoint, Tadashi placed the board down on the ground before balancing himself and kicking his leg against the pavement to begin his descent. It wasn't until he was almost half way down that he lost equilibrium and fell butt first into a puddle.

After the initial shock wore off Tadashi got up, sopping pants and all, and turned to see Hiro practically rolling on the ground with laughter. The thing is, Hiro not only had an adorable smile but he had one of the most contagious laughs Tadashi had ever heard. The combination of the two made Tadashi begin to laugh himself and soon they were both a hysterical mess.

Wiping the laugh tears from his eyes, Hiro eventually made his way over to check on him.

"I'm sorry but that was hilarious! You ok though?"

Tadashi briefly glanced down at his now soaked pants and smiled.

"Ya know falling wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be."

This earned him a shake of the head from the teen who lead them back to the garage to grab him a towel. As Tadashi began drying himself off, from the corner of his eye he noticed Hiro watching him.

He was never one for attention, especially while he was in the process of wiping a towel across his bottom and between his legs. It made him wonder if Hiro was even aware of his staring. He then stopped and waited for the teen to divert his gaze, but when that didn't work Tadashi gave a light cough to catch the younger's attention. That seemed to do the trick, and upon realizing his mistake Hiro quickly turned his back on him, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner. Just as it appeared that Hiro was going to say something, Aunt Cass emerged in front of the garage entrance giving the two a puzzling look.

"Is everything ok in here boys?"

"Yeah everything's fine, why wouldn't it be?" Hiro's response was quick, but nowhere near snippy. He sounded a little anxious.

Aunt Cass didn't reply with a relevant answer, but instead gave the boys one last questioning glance before addressing them with her purpose.

"I just wanted to let you know dinner's almost ready and that you should come in and wash up." She then turned to Tadashi.

"Would you like to join us?"

"No thank you. I should probably get going."

Thankfully his jeans were dark enough to disguise the moisture from his fall and he figured no one on the bus would notice once he was actually sitting down.

He folded the used towel and placed it on a chair before making his way towards the garage entrance.

"I'll text you later." He had meant it as a statement but it came out sounding more like a question even to his own ears. If Hiro was still frazzled maybe he wouldn't want to talk to him at all. His chest hurt at the thought.

Without making eye contact Hiro nodded his head.

"Sure. Sounds good."

And with that Tadashi gave a quick smile to both of them before exiting the garage.

**~ ~XxXxX ~ ~**

Later that night after an oddly quiet dinner, Hiro sat on the beanbag chair in his room thinking over the day's events. When he thought back on their goodbye earlier, he hid his face in his hands. How could he have been so stupid!

_He caught me staring at his junk! He must think I'm so weird, like who does that?!_

There was a buzzing in his pocket alerting him of a new text message.

Hiro remained still. Part of him hoped it was Tadashi, while the other part of him really hoped it wasn't. What would he even say? Should he apologize, or would that just make things more awkward? He nibbled on his lip ring as he sighed and got out his phone.

'_**Hey'**_

'**hey'**

There was a slight pause as he assumed Tadashi was typing.

'_**What are you doing?'**_

'_**nothing much, just thinking'**_

Another pause.

'_**Thinking about what?'**_

Hiro thought for a second, before quickly typing out his response.

'_**you'**_

He figured things couldn't get worse compared to that evening, so he might as well just go with it. The odds of Tadashi taking him seriously were very slim. He probably just thought of Hiro as some sort of little brother anyways. But that thought still didn't stop Hiro from holding his breath while he waited for his reply.

'_**What about me?'**_

Oh the ways Hiro wanted to answer _that_. Instead he smirked as he tapped away at his screen.

'_**just at what a big nerd you are falling like that today lol. like dude you should've seen your face!'**_

The teasing remark put Hiro more at ease.

'_**Wow, and to think I was laying here thinking about how awesome your invention is going to be. How foolish am I?'**_

The thought of Tadashi laying in his bed while thinking of him sent an odd shiver down Hiro's spine. _My hormones must be out of control today._

'_**im just telling it like it is ;p'**_

'_**But you didn't keep up with your end of the bargain.'**_

Hiro scoffed.

'_**yeah like i could actually carry you from my house to your apartment. have you seen your head? it's way too big'**_

"_**You're one to talk brainiac. You know what, you should get some rest, you've got school in the morning." **_

'_**can i see you at the library tomorrow?'**_

He was hoping he didn't sound too desperate.

'_**I'll be there :)'**_

'_**ok, nite nerd'**_

'_**Good night Hiro.'**_

The teen plugged his phone into its wall charger and climbed onto his bed, tugging the sheets out from underneath him and crawling inside. The smile on his face never fading until he had completely fallen to sleep.

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**A/N:** Thank you all for reading! Please tell me what you think :)


	7. Chapter 7

_As far as timelines go, it's actually been about a month or so since Hiro and Tadashi have met, maybe a week more. I'm trying not to make things go too fast so I hope my pacing is ok._

_And as always, hank you all for the follows, favs, and reviews! I really appreciate them! Just know __I am hoping to have this story finished by its 2nd year anniversary, but we shall see..._

_[Also if anyone notices any grammatical errors, please don't be afraid to tell me. I went over this chapter a few times, but when I check back weeks later I always find something that slips through]._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Much to Hiro's surprise, their next encounter was met with no bumps. After the embarrassing incident at his house the previous day, he thought things with the med student would be a bit awkward, but the two just picked up like nothing had ever happened. It was rather nice.

Hiro had to admit that when it came to Tadashi, everything was nice. He never talked down to Hiro or treated him any differently because of his age. In fact it seemed as if they were able to connect on a level that Hiro had never shared with someone before. Sure, he enjoyed some of the guys and girls down at the bot fighting scene, and he had a few online people he interacted with on occasion, but things with Tadashi were different. Their minds were so in sync it's as if they were on a whole other wave length.

The soft clicking sounds of the older student typing away at his keyboard had Hiro drifting deep into these thoughts. It was a Thursday evening and the library was pretty much dead. The two of them were off in one of the study rooms; Tadashi working on one of his mid-term papers and Hiro occupied with his big project. Well at least that what he was _supposed _to be doing, before thoughts of a handsome nerd interrupted him.

Now said nerd was staring at him.

_Oops!_

"Is something wrong?"

"Nope, I was just admiring the view." _What?!_

At this Tadashi's eyes slightly widened.

"…of that grammatical error you made in that last sentence. Everyone knows the period goes before the quotations, duh." _Nice save!_

Tadashi glanced back to his screen before returning his gaze to Hiro, a small smirk playing upon his lips.

"It seems you're right. My, what _amazing_ observational skills you have."

Seemingly caught in his bluff, Hiro rolled his eyes and moved to begin packing up his things.

"Whatever. I got to go anyways, so enjoy the rest of your evening alone nerd."

Tadashi also got up from his seat and moved so he was hovering over Hiro's work space. "Wait you're leaving already?"

"Wow, what _amazing_ listening skills you have."

Tadashi was not impressed.

"Fine smarty pants, but at least let me give you a ride." He went back to his computer to save his file and pack it away.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem."

He faced the med student's concerned expression with a cool one of his own. Looking at the care etched into the older males face made Hiro feel guilty, which is something he hadn't felt in ages. Why did he have to be so caring? Why did he have to be so perfect?

"Yeah I'm sure. I brought my board with me and besides it's on the whole other side of tow_

_Shit._

He had come to know that look.

"Where exactly are you going Hiro?"

Despite knowing full well that Tadashi meant no accusation in his question and no harm in his tone, the inquiry hit a nerve with Hiro.

"Why does it matter?" He knew he was being more snippy than necessary, but he felt as if their wave length was cracking in places, and it bothered him.

Tadashi turned to face him fully and gave him the most stern look Hiro had ever seen on his handsome face.

"No."

_No?..._

"Excuse m_"

"I know you're going to go bot fighting and I said _**no**_."

The wave length was practicing shredding itself a part now and Hiro could no longer hold himself back.

"I don't know who the _fuck_ you think you are, but you have no right telling me what to do! You think I'm just some _kid_, that you can parent me around however you please? Well the answer is no! Robotics is my passion, the one thing that gives me the motivation to keep on living in this shitty world, and you just expect me to give it up because _you_ say so?! Well tough luck!"

Hiro was fuming, his breaths coming heavy and his face a light shade of red. The shock on Tadashi's face was nothing compared to the evident hurt in his eyes, and Hiro had to look away before the reality of the situation hit him harder than the words he had unconsciously spewed out.

Tadashi was supposed to be the one person who understood him the most, who liked him just the way he was, odd hobbies and all. The fact that he wanted Hiro to change, even if it was for the safety of his own well-being, made Hiro's chest ache. He just couldn't take it.

Quickly, he slung his book bag over his shoulder, grabbed his skate board and made his way out of the library.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

The rest of Tadashi's evening went by in a sickening blur. He replayed Hiro's words in his head over and over again as he waited for his shift to end. When the clock reached 8 o'clock, he turned off the lights and locked up for the night.

The cool wind felt good against his face as he drove his moped through the quiet streets of San Fransokyo.

What had he done? Where had he gone wrong?

He contemplated the situation as he made his way into his apartment and ignored his stomach's need for food in lieu of taking a hot shower. The steamy water did nothing to help clear his mind, as images of the teen's livid face kept circling about, with his harsh words playing in the background as some sort of soundtrack.

More than Hiro's words, it was the hidden emotions behind them that hurt. He thought the two had a stable relationship, one of respect and trust. For Hiro to think that Tadashi treated him any different because of something as trivial as his age, upset him. In all honesty he saw Hiro as an equal. Aside from some of his medical peers, he was one of the few people who were on his intellectual level, and shared his same quirky sense of humor. In fact if it wasn't for his age, Tadashi wished they could be equals in a different sort of way…but that was getting ahead of himself. How could he even think about that in a time like this?

"Damn it!"

Tadashi raised his fist and slammed it into the shower wall. The pain was instantaneous, but it did well to remove his negative thoughts, at least temporarily.

After toweling himself off and getting dressed he made his way over to the fridge and grabbed a frozen bag of green beans. Walking over to the couch, he plopped down and set the bag on the small coffee table, then placed his injured hand on top.

Looking back, he realized he could have handled that conversation a lot better. Just because they're friends doesn't mean he can tell Hiro what to do. Instead of demanding things of the boy, he should have calmly talked to him and explained his reasoning first. It's not that he didn't respect Hiro's hobby, but he just worried about him too damn much. And after what happened last time, the thought of Hiro being in situations like that again made him sick to his stomach.

In retrospect, he could have voiced his opinion, but still have been a supporting friend and offered to go with him. At least that way he'd be there to help Hiro if he did get in any trouble. Tadashi hadn't had a close friend for a while, so he guessed he was a bit rusty in some areas. And despite Hiro's intelligence, he was still young and might not see the bigger picture as easily as Tadashi was able to. But life experience had conditioned him that way, and through time Hiro would come to see things like that too.

But now was not the time, Tadashi needed to find Hiro and apologize.

Using his other hand he pressed the 'Find Friends' app on his phone and quickly found Hiro's location. As if they were on the same wave length, his phone started to alert him of an incoming call.

"Hiro?"

"Tadashi, can you come get me?"

"Hold on, I'll be right there."

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

They rode back to Tadashi's apartment in silence. Hiro's grip on his waist was lighter than the previous time, but Tadashi figured it was due to the circumstances.

_I should have been there! I should have been there!_

That was the constant thought screaming through Tadashi's head since the moment he found Hiro in some downtown side street pretty beaten up.

He had said nothing as he gently fastened his extra helmet on Hiro's head and helped him over to his moped.

Now they were pulling into his garage and Tadashi once again made to help Hiro when the teen gave him an outstretched hand.

"It's ok, I got it."

It pained Tadashi but he simply nodded his consent and made his way over to unlock the door. He waited until Hiro crossed the threshold before he closed and secured it behind them.

He then disappeared into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit as Hiro made himself comfortable on the couch.

They sat in easy silence as Tadashi tended to Hiro's wounds, and it brought back memories to their first encounter those many weeks ago. A small smile crept upon his face at the thought.

Hiro eyed his expression and seemed to pick up on the older male's thoughts. "It kind of feels like forever ago doesn't it."

Tadashi nodded in response. "Yeah, it kind of does."

Hiro gave a little smile of his own and turned his gaze to concentrate on Tadashi's hand dabbing antiseptic onto a cut.

"I'm sorry _"

"I'm sorry_"

They both blurted at the same time and stared at each other in surprise. Hiro broke the contact and returned his eyes to Tadashi's smooth movements.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. You were right after all." He sounded tired and defeated and his tone alone broke Tadashi's heart.

"No, it's my fault. I should have supported your interest and gone with you. I should have tried to keep you safe while letting you enjoy something you love."

He continued wrapping a bandage around Hiro's wrist when a small water droplet shattered upon his skin. They were silent tears, but tears none the less, and they slowly streamed down the young boys face and dribbled off of his chin onto Tadashi's now stilled hand.

Silently he began to wipe the tears away, trying to soothe Hiro in the process.

"Hey don't worry about it, it's gonna be ok."

Hiro shook his head and grabbed Tadashi's hands in his own.

"It's not that. It's just no one has ever cared about me as much as you do."

Tadashi knew of Hiro's rough past, but to hear Hiro voice such a thing out loud truly devastated him. Without thinking, he gently cupped the boy's tear-stained cheek and slowly moved his face closer. Just mere inches away, he suddenly stopped. What one earth was he doing?

Hiro's doe like eyes met Tadashi's own shocked expression and the two remained still for a second longer before Hiro noticed his bruised hand.

"Woah what happened to your hand?" The teen took the hand back into his lap and turned it over to examine the swollen skin.

"Nothing, I just um…knocked it against a bookshelf at the library as I was locking up, it's not a big deal."

Hiro's attention never left his hand.

"You're such a bad liar."

Tadashi let out a long sigh. "You can read me like an open book."

Hiro looked at him then, as if he was considering something, but decided against it. Instead he gazed back at the hand he held in his own before placing a light kiss upon it.

Tadashi's small gasp seemed too loud in the quite room, and Hiro gave him a soft smile before releasing his hold.

"Thank you."

Tadashi gaped at the boy in front of him, unable to form any real words and ended up giving him a nod in response. Hiro then quickly looked away, probably surprised by his brazen move, and began to awkwardly rub the back of his neck.

"Um do you mind if I possibly...stayed the night? I don't think my aunt would be too happy if I went home right now."

At the request Tadashi regained his composure. "Of course, you're always welcome here. Although I think it'd be best if you at least call her first and let her know where you are."

Hiro nodded in agreement and got up to make his phone call in the privacy of the bathroom.

As soon as he had closed the door Tadashi roughly dragged his hands over his face and sat there in contemplation.

_Of all the times to make a move, really?! And he's still a minor!_

"Damn it!"

Well things were certainly escalating quickly, but Tadashi was an adult and he could handle a little attraction. He would never let an incident like that happen again. Hiro trusted him too much and he was not going to let him down, unlike everyone else in the kid's life.

He mentally agreed with himself before getting up and collecting his belongings to bring to the couch. Hiro was in rough shape so Tadashi didn't mid giving him the privilege of having the bed.

By the time Hiro had excited the bathroom Tadashi was already changed. He offered Hiro an old shirt and pair of shorts for him to change into if he'd like and Hiro just looked at him as if he had three heads.

"Are you serious? Do you really think your clothes are going to fit me?"

Tadashi shrugged. "I figured anything might be better than staying in those dirty clothes."

Hiro rolled his eyes and made his way back to the bathroom to change. When he returned he had his shirt and pants in one hand with the other hold onto the edge of his make shift night gown.

Tadashi couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up big guy."

He placed his clothes near the bed and gave Tadashi his old shorts back.

"There is no way in hell these would have ever stayed on."

The med student continued to laugh as he accepted the offending shorts and Hiro gave him a sharp punch in the arm, only causing the student to laugh even more. He was glad to see Hiro back to his usual self.

"You're unbelievable." The teen grumbled as he made his way over to the bed and settled in, completely ignoring the laughter from the other side of the room.

Once Tadashi had calmed down, he made himself comfortable on the couch and casually glanced over to the bed noticing Hiro had already fallen asleep.

The teen had had a tough night, and Tadashi had almost made things worse with his wavering control.

He looked over once more at the lump on the bed before slowly drifting to sleep himself.

He would be strong for Hiro.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you all for reading and please tell me what you think!


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